I was running low on the 183 Sierras, and was all set to restock the stash, but the nagging thoughts of the 195 Bergers were still festering. I could ignore it no more, and made the executive to order a box.

Finally had a narrow window of opportunity, weather wise, to give 'em a test out further. So I got out there by 6:30, got the steel set up, ran a few jugs out another couple hundred yards, and moved back to the 720 yard mark:

Almost zero wind, so I dialed in the come-ups, and let one go at the far right steel:

Gathered up my stuff and moved back to the 1000 yard mark, hoping for a repeat. Of course, the wind decided to make an appearance by then.....

I dialed in the up, with a couple MOA of wind, & sent one sighter in the dirt. That went a hair high right over the spot, so I clicked down two and moved to the steel and banged off three. The first two damn near touched, with the last one a bit right....

But I still couldn't shake the 7 thought.....
Ended up buying a S/S magnum bolt last year "just in case".

I wanted something more than a 7 mag offered, but didn't want to go with any wildcat with their related expenses with dies and fireforming. I had read a 100 page thread on LRH about the 7x300WM that planted the seed. I knew TiminTn was a 7 freak, so I finally gave him a buzz. He had a minimum spec no turn 7x300WM reamer and a 7mm throater. Shazaam....

I found a 8.5" twist Krieger RV contour in stock, so ordered it and had it sent directly to Tim. Ordered up 500 Berger 180 Hybrids, and another 500 183 SMK's, a couple hundred Hornady 300 WM brass, A Wilson 300WM inline bullet seater, and 300WM Redding body die, and 7Mag neck die. I seated both bullets where I wanted them, and sent them to Tim for proper throating.

7Mag w/162 Amax vs the 7x300 w/183 SMK....

Click to expand...

So, what freebore did you end up with? The ogives of the 180 Berger Hybrid and 183 SMK are quite different, so I'm curious how you decided on the final reamer spec. And how did that work out with the 195 Berger?

If you were planning to shoot the 195 Berger from the beginning, would you change the freebore to something different from the original reamer?

So, what freebore did you end up with? The ogives of the 180 Berger Hybrid and 183 SMK are quite different, so I'm curious how you decided on the final reamer spec. And how did that work out with the 195 Berger?

If you were planning to shoot the 195 Berger from the beginning, would you change the freebore to something different from the original reamer?

Click to expand...

I can't give specifics of the reamer, as Tim had a separate throating reamer, so I made up a dummy with the 180 & 183's seated to where I wanted them, with some regard to OAL to fit the mag box in the off chance I may use it for LR hunting. The stars aligned, as the Hybrids preferred off the lands, which then fit the mag box for hunting, and the 183's liked in the lands at a OAL beyond magazine restraints, which didn't matter, as it was used as a single shot only for LR play.

Throating strictly for the 195 would be dependent of using it as a single shot or repeater, being cognizant of the hazards of throating for a single bullet.

Share This Page

Upgrades & Donations

This Forum's operating expenses are primarily paid by the generous contributions of members. With PayPal you can upgrade your Forum membership in seconds, with an email receipt. By upgrading your membership to Silver or Gold Levels you'll get unlimited FREE classifieds for one year. Gold members will be eligible for prize drawings and can upload custom avatars.